


Cyborgs

by Corpus



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Angst, Blood, Cyborgs, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Swordfighting, what's better than this guys being dudes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 09:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10851369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corpus/pseuds/Corpus
Summary: “My body belongs to them. I’m just piloting a machine now. A machine I can’t escape.” He spat, tone changing, becoming angrier. “I tried to kill Armstrong, Jack! I lost. They forced me to join World Marshal and now they fucking own my ass. They can track me, contact me…” He trailed off. “Do you ever feel this way? That you… your body doesn’t belong to you?”Raiden killed Jetstream Sam over a year ago. Or so he thought. Sam's back now, and he needs to talk.... His new fully cyborg body is certainly impressive.----Sam/Jack angst and fluff (with a bit of fighting thrown in to boot)!!! What's not to love?





	Cyborgs

For all intents and purposes, it was a normal office building. Cubicles, computers, potted plants… There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. That is, except for the rain blowing in through the shattered windows, and the furniture in the opposite half of the room toppled and smashed. The 6th floor wind blew rain through the broken windows, dampening the papers scattered amongst the destruction.

Raiden, sword drawn, scanned the dark office looking for any sign of life. The only light shone in from the wet city street, lighting the long room in a dynamic yellow and pink glow. However, no movement other than the mess of paper shifting in the wind.

But one could never be too careful. Maverick had sent him here with report of a single individual causing havoc in and around this block. Their identity? Motive? Unknown. They knew Raiden could handle it. He curled his lip. It had been a slow day.

Besides, it was probably just a rogue cyborg. Raiden could dispatch it easily.

Raiden sheathed his sword and walked over to the window, shattered glass crunching under his heels. He looked down at the city below as the rain battered his face, scanning for any signs of his person of interest. The sound of the cars below was dampened by the rain. Nothing unusual, however. How disappointing. Raiden was about to contact Kevin and let him know their target had ran when he heard a voice from behind.

“Ah, just the man I was hoping for.”

Raiden spun to greet his opponent, drawing his sword, cursing himself for letting his guard down. He brandished his sword in front of him, ready to strike the intruder down before recognizing the shit-eating grin of the man in front of him. His hands shook.  
“…Sam?”  
“Jack. How long has it been? My, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Jetstream Sam leaned against a cubicle wall, smirking. Arms folded, he stroked his chin idly. It was a strange tableau; Sam with his armour and blade standing amongst something as mundane as office furniture. He looked as handsome as ever, despite his hair and body dripping puddles onto the coffee-stained carpet. “You’re looking well.”  
“I… killed you.”  
“Didn’t do a very thorough job.” Sam spread his arms, showing off his new suit of armor. Armor? Or… Raiden narrowed his eyes.  
“Cyborg…” he breathed.  
“Perceptive. I’m more machine than man now. All thanks to you. And Desperado.”  
He let out a dry laugh. Raiden didn’t say anything. He let Sam continue.  
“You certainly did a number on me a year ago.” Sam laid a hand on his abdomen. “Right here, remember? I can almost…” his hand curled into a fist and he met Raiden’s eye, “still feel it.” His grin faded, replaced with something that, to Raiden, seemed dangerous. Raiden raised his sword an imperceptible amount and spoke, voice gravelly. “You said you were hoping to see me.”

Sam walked between the broken cubicles toward Raiden, lazily trailing the tip of Muramasa along the side of a toppled desk. The blade left a deep slice on the wood. Raiden raised his sword again and Sam chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. “No, no Jack. That’s not why I hoped for this little meetup. As much as I would relish a rematch, I have a few… questions. Shall we chat?”

Raiden shook his head. “I’m not an idiot. You work for Desperado. You’re not here to ask questions.” He spat. He didn’t have time for this. Sam was dead. He could stay dead.

Sam looked almost surprised, and then he let out a soft laugh, brushing a few strands of hair out of his eyes. “I should have known. Ah, Jack.” He stood, pointing Muramasa at Raiden’s chest. “You really do prefer it the hard way.”

Sam sprung at him, Muramasa slicing the air and leaving a glowing red trail in its wake. Raiden dodged the first attack, but felt the hilt of Sam’s blade connect with his hip. It would have stung if not for his pain inhibitors. As such, it threw him off balance, and he turned too quickly, sliding on the broken glass below them. Raiden swung his sword upwards, in an attempt to slice him across the chest, but Sam parried it easily. Too easily. Raiden narrowed his eyes. He was powerful. More powerful than before.

Sam grinned, as if it were a game to him. His sword deflected all attacks Raiden attempted. It took a moment for Raiden to realize that after the initial attack, Sam hadn’t tried to strike him at all. Raiden jumped back, out of Sam’s reach, panting heavily.  
Sam chuckled. “But Jack, I was having such a good time. Why stop now?”  
Raiden didn’t respond. He held his sword up, waiting, testing him. Sam’s grin fell and he sighed dramatically. “You’re done with the fun? Might as well get it over with then.”  
Sam rushed him once more, aiming for his shoulder. Raiden sidestepped, attempting to dodge again, before Sam immediately switched tactics, bringing his sword around to hit Raiden’s right leg.

The blade sliced straight through his upper thigh. Raiden gasped, cursing loudly, not in pain, but in surprise. The severed leg landed a few feet away as Raiden toppled over, landing flat on his face. He started to prop himself up when he felt Sam’s hand on the back of his neck, pressing his face back down into the wet carpet. He gasped at the feeling of Sam’s fingers digging in around his spine, and twisted, attempting to shove Sam off of him. Before he could do so, he felt something in his neck snap under Sam’s hand and his body went limp as he fell back to the ground. He couldn’t move. All he could see was the broken glass on the floor in front of him. His eyes darted around as a panic started to set in. “Fuck! What did you-“  
“Shh, sh, Jack.” The voice came from directly above him. He felt Sam’s hand stroke his hair once. “Like I said, I just want to talk.”  
“You fucking… disabled me!?”  
“Not disabled, just disconnected your limb functioning.” Raiden could hear his smirk in his tone. “I’ve learned a lot in the past year.” Sam grabbed Raiden’s sides and propped him up against a broken desk. His head started to loll and Sam righted it, almost gently, ignoring the blood pooling below them from Raiden’s wound.

“Now,” Sam crouched in front of him, holding Raiden’s severed leg. The way he gently stroked it made Raiden shiver. “Now that we’re comfortable, let’s have a little heart-to-heart.”  
“Fuck you.”  
Sam tilted his head, giving Raiden that look. As if he could read Raiden’s mind.  
“You’re not in the best position for that sort of language right now, Jack.” He reached out and took Raiden’s non-functional hand, fiddling with his fingers. Raiden couldn’t feel it. “I’ve had one hell of a year since our last fight. I don’t have pain inhibitors, did you know that? Or, I didn’t before… this,” he corrected himself, gesturing at his new body. “But I prefer to keep them off now anyway. This body is truly… amazing.”  
Raiden narrowed his eyes. “Get on with it.”  
Sam’s grin grew wider and he looked down at Raiden’s leg, running his hand along its length. Studying it. “You know what it’s like, of course. To be a machine. Just a machine.”

He stood, leaving Raiden’s severed leg on the ground in front of him. He slowly paced, hands behind his back. “Desperado likes machines. They don’t need soldiers. Soldiers have needs.” He stopped suddenly, back to Raiden. “Machines don’t. Machines are powerful.”

He turned back and knelt in front of Raiden. “I’ve always been a machine to them. And now,” he looked down at himself and gently lifted Raiden’s hand back up, “I truly am a machine. The only part of me that’s still human is…” He touched Raiden’s hand to his face. “I’m not myself anymore.” He looked away from Raiden as if lost in thought. His hands dropped to his thighs, but he maintained his grip on Raiden’s hand as if he had forgotten what it was he was holding. “I’m still not used to it.”  
Raiden didn’t know what to say. This was the last thing he expected from this evening. He paused before speaking quietly. “Its power…?”  
“All of it. They chopped me off below the neck. It’s not easy to get used to.”  
Raiden let out a dry laugh. “I know.”  
Sam smirked. He drummed his fingers on Raiden’s leg. “You would. That’s why I’m here.”  
“You set this up? You said… you had a question.”

Sam’s hands stilled on Raiden’s leg, he looked down, gazing at it, but Raiden could tell his mind was somewhere else. Sam paused before speaking quietly. “Is there an escape for people like us?”

Raiden’s eyes widened. Sam left the leg on the floor and stood up, continuing his speech, “My body belongs to them. I’m just piloting a machine now. A machine I can’t escape.” He spat, tone changing, becoming angrier. “I tried to kill Armstrong, Jack! I lost. They forced me to join World Marshal and now they fucking own my ass. They can track me, contact me…” He trailed off. “Do you ever feel this way? That you… your body doesn’t belong to you?” Sam turned back to look at him and snorted upon laying eyes on the sight of Raiden’s broken body. “I don’t think you need to answer that.” Sam turned away and Raiden saw his shoulders shift in a sigh. The silence hung heavy around them.

“You know, I didn’t ask for this.”  
“Hm?” Sam turned back to Raiden, eyebrow raised in curiosity.  
“My brain and spine were… extracted by the Patriots. I was captured and…” The implication hung heavy around them. “I was a fucking guinea pig for them. Testing exoskeletal enhancements…” Raiden curled his lip. He didn’t want to remember. It made him angry and it made him scared. “But I escaped the Patriots. This is how they left me, and this is who I am now. I can’t live a normal life, so this is what I do.” Raiden paused, “Killing is all I know. I can’t do anything else.”

Sam’s eyes widened and sat down in an office chair which groaned under the weight of his new metal body. “I see.” He gazed out the window, running his hand through his hair. The yellow light from the damp street below played across his grizzled face.

“Seems like we’re one and the same then. Humanity stripped by ones who treat us as nothing more than…” He closed his eyes and leaned back, face falling into shadow. “Guinea pigs and machines. We’re both trapped into our… lifestyles.”

He paused before speaking again, quieter this time. Raiden had to strain to hear him. “There’s still one difference between you and me, Jack. A year ago you said you like killing. Yet you can at least still fight for ones you believe in.” He looked down at his hands. “I fight for the ones who own me. I guess that’ll never change.”

Neither of them spoke. A pensive silence lingered, broken only by the sound of the rain dripping in through the windows. After a moment Raiden spoke. “Come here.”  
“What?”  
Raiden raised his eyebrows, and Sam caved, standing up and kneeling in front of Raiden again.  
“Can you reconnect my limb functioning?”  
Sam narrowed his eyes at that and Raiden spoke again, “I’m not going to fight you. I only have one fucking leg.” He snorted. “Just… reconnect it.”  
Sam paused before leaning close, tilting Raiden forward onto him and fiddling with the back of his neck again. Raiden’s cheek pressed against Sam’s chest and he could smell the rain on him. Rain and… metal. Ozone from his blade. A year ago he had smelled different. Sweat. More human. The thought made him uneasy.

He heard a snap, and a curse from Sam as a jolt ran through his body. “Sorry. One second.”  
Raiden’s movement slowly returned. He flexed his fingers and tilted his head, testing his muscles as Sam pulled away. “There we go. Might take a minute for everything to work again.” He looked almost sheepish.

Raiden didn’t say anything as he reached for Sam’s right hand. He held it for a second before studying the craftsmanship, running his own fingers across the palm. “Can you feel this?”  
Sam nodded slowly. “Different than the prosthetic arm I had before. Feels duller.”  
Raiden ran his thumb across Sam’s fingertips. The design of his hand was different. While Raiden’s had metal nails and small details reminiscent of a human hand, Sam’s hand lacked those same features. It was a cruder design.  
“I can’t feel the texture but I can feel the pressure when you touch it.”  
“That makes sense. Same for me.”  
Sam looked up. “How long did it take you to get used to?”  
“A while. The…” Raiden thought for a moment on how to phrase it, “The nightmares were the worst part, not the body. I’m used to both now. Not like I can just go to the park or the store looking like this though.” He let out a dry laugh. Not that he could do that anyway.  
Sam looked down at their hands. “A while… Guess in a while I’ll be used to it too.” He shook his head, as if disgusted by the idea.  
Raiden opened his mouth, uncertain about what to say next. He met Sam’s gaze.

He reached out and pushed a strand of hair out of Sam’s face. “Your body isn’t who you are. You’re still you. You’re still human, Sam.”  
Sam stilled at the sound of his name. Raiden put his hand on the back of Sam’s head, pulling him closer. Sam didn’t resist, just looked at him curiously. “You’re still human where it matters.”  
Raiden touched his forehead to Sam’s. He felt Sam take in a sharp breath, and tremble under his hand. Raiden pulled back, suddenly embarrassed, avoiding Sam’s gaze. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s…” Sam shook his head. “It’s okay. It’s…” He trailed off. “Okay.”  
They sat for a moment longer, scared to look each other in the eye. Sam spoke again, a whisper, “It’s been so long since I… felt the touch…” he closed his eyes, cutting off his sentence, as if regretting it.  
Raiden nodded slowly. “It’s tough…”  
“Yeah.”  
Raiden tilted his head. Sam looked different now. Scared… vulnerable. A raindrop rolled down his face, tracing his scar. Raiden touched Sam’s face again, and in a moment of impulsivity, leaned in, pressing his lips to Sam’s. He pulled away immediately, as if shocked at what he had done.  
Sam blinked at him, eyes wide. Then he chuckled. “Well then, Jack…”  
Raiden felt his cheeks burn. He opened his mouth “I…”  
Sam kissed him back, deeper this time. His beard scraped against Raiden’s cheeks but his lips were soft and he was uncharacteristically gentle with how he touched Raiden. Raiden closed his eye, leaning into him.

It had been so long since he had last felt this sort of human contact. And considering what Sam had said, it was the same for him too. He needed this. They both did.

Sam pulled away, grinning, running a finger slowly along Raiden’s metal jaw. “Like kissing teeth.”  
Raiden huffed, face growing hotter. Sam laughed at his reaction, cocking his head. His thumb trailed over Raiden’s chin. “It’s… nice. Strangely. When it’s you.”  
Raiden shook his head in embarrassment. His mind was simultaneously racing and completely blank. He didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, he didn’t have to.

“Thank you, Jack.” Sam looked down at their hands again, growing serious once more. “Despite everything, it’s nice to have someone who gets it.”  
Raiden felt the same. After years of dealing with how he felt on his own… he finally had someone who understands. He nodded. “I’m still mad that you cut off my fucking leg though.”  
Sam looked up and noticing Raiden’s smirk, laughed. “Second time I’ve cut a limb off of you. Two down, two to go?”  
Raiden gasped. “Fuck you!”  
Sam winked at him, and at that moment, a beep sounded from somewhere within him. He stilled suddenly, mood shifting as they realized their situation. Sam stood up, turning away and picking up Muramasa from where it lay on the floor, sheathing it.  
“Desperado?”  
Sam nodded slowly. His communicator beeped again.  
“You going to answer it?”  
“I have to. I should go.”  
Raiden felt something in him lurch. “Ah. Okay.”  
Sam looked back. “You’ll be fine?”  
“Well…” His wound had stopped bleeding a while ago. But still, what a pain. He’d have to call Courtney or Kevin to send a copter to pick him up. How embarrassing. “Don’t cut off my leg next time.”  
“Hm, next time?” Sam stroked his chin with a smirk. “And no promises. Where’s the fun in that?”  
“Mm. Fair point.”  
“Atta boy.”  
They paused again, Sam’s communicator beeped again.

“I’ll see you again?” Raiden didn’t mean it as a question, but his voice betrayed him, making him sound like a smitten teenager.  
The inflection wasn’t lost on Sam. “Eager, Jack?”  
“Yeah… I want to get this leg fixed so I can kick your fuckin’ ass.”  
Sam laughed. “Now that’s what I like to hear.” He moved to the window, looking down at the city below. 

“I’ll see you around, Pretty Boy.” He grinned at Raiden, giving him a graceful bow.  
“Sam.”  
With a flourish, Sam dropped out of the broken window. Back to World Marshal HQ, no doubt. Or perhaps wherever they decided to send him next. Sam didn’t even have to think twice about the drop. His new body was certainly strong… Raiden sighed, and clicked his own communicator on. After a few moments, he got a response.

“Raiden? Where are you? I just saw your vitals, your heart rate was going wild for a few minutes! Are you okay?”  
“Hey Courtney. I’m fine. I’ll need someone to come pick me up though. The… rogue cyborg was trouble but…” Raiden paused, gazing out the window at the rain. “I took care of him.”

**Author's Note:**

> While I was writing this I still hadn't decided whether this would be rated T or something a little spicier. Here's an alternate version:
> 
>  
> 
> \----------  
> “All of it. They chopped me off below the neck. It’s not easy to get used to.”  
> Raiden let out a dry laugh. “I know.”  
> Sam smirked. He drummed his fingers on Raiden’s leg. “You would. That’s why I’m here.”  
> “You set this up? You said… you had a question.”
> 
> Sam’s hands stilled on Raiden’s leg, he looked down, gazing at it, but Raiden could tell his mind was somewhere else. Sam looked up, a desperate plea in his eyes. "I don't have a dick anymore and I haven't jacked it in over a year. Please help me. I'm dying, I swear I'm dying. Are phantom blue balls a thing?"  
> \----------
> 
> :')
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you liked the fic, and comments are what make my heart sour and my posts keep coming!!!


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